


i've been waiting

by piginawig



Series: baby i didn't know, but i'm glad that you found me [1]
Category: IT - Stephen King
Genre: Adult Losers - Age 22, Alternate Universe - No Pennywise (IT), Eddie loses contact with the Losers for 5 years, Fluffy Ending, Kind of Eddie-centric, M/M, at least the first half
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-25
Updated: 2019-09-25
Packaged: 2020-10-28 07:18:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20774684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/piginawig/pseuds/piginawig
Summary: Eddie loses touch with the Losers after he's forced to move away from Derry. After 5 years, he finds a way to see his friends again - including Richie, who is just as beautiful as he remembers.





	i've been waiting

**Author's Note:**

> This was not supposed to be 15k but here we are. My tumblr is eddiesleftarm. Not beta'd or edited so all mistakes are mine! Sexy times at the end so if that's not your thing just dip once things start heating up.

Eddie Kaspbrak’s college graduation took place in May of 1998. By June of 1998, he had a job lined up at a firm in the financial district of Manhattan as an assistant to a risk analyst. It was, in Eddie’s opinion, boring as fuck, but what the hell else was he going to do with a business degree? There certainly weren’t a ton of interesting options out there. At least this one paid well.

He stepped out of the office building on a Thursday in August in fancy dress shoes that rubbed his heels raw and a suit that was a bit too long in the legs because he never hit that growth spurt he was hoping for (although 5’9” was a perfectly respectable height, completely average, thank you very much) and onto the busy sidewalk. He hated this part. The busyness, the crowds, feeling like everyone around him was in a rush to get somewhere. It wasn’t like that in Queens, where he lived with his mom, but if he wanted a good job it needed to be in the financial district, so the chaos was a necessary evil.

Every Thursday Eddie found himself slowing his pace as he walked past a small bookstore about a block away from the subway. Each Thursday they had a display for a new book, and on one occasion the book had seemed interesting enough that Eddie had gone inside to purchase it. As he looked in the window now, he saw this week’s novel was a horror story. He didn’t have much interest in horror, preferring a psychological thriller (or the occasional romance, so sue him) but something about the cover made him turn into the store. It was impossible to stop outside and look at the book through the window without at least five men in stuffy business suits shoving you and yelling curse words about it.

He smiled at the young girl behind the counter when she greeted him and stepped over to the window display, picking up the hardcover and turning it over.

“New author wrote that one,” the girl told him. Eddie glanced up at her. “It’s his first book and it’s already critically acclaimed. Young, too. Early twenties, I think.”

Eddie raised his eyebrows, impressed. He looked back down, his eyes scanning the back cover. When they landed on the photo of the author in the bottom corner, the book fell from his hands.

He gasped, staring wide-eyed at the book that had landed face-up on the ground.

“Are you okay, sir?”

“Uh, yeah,” Eddie answered, not taking his eyes off the book. He slowly bent to pick it up. “I’m fine, just…”

He never finished his sentence, too shocked by the name WILLIAM DENBROUGH staring up at him.

* * *

He spent the entire 45 minutes on the subway reading the book. First he read the short bio at the back, learning that Bill was currently living in Seattle near where he’d attended college and that he owned a cat named Silver, which made him laugh because _geez Bill, couldn’t you think up a new name?_ It didn’t say anything about a wife or girlfriend, so Eddie assumed that meant that sometime in the last five years he and Beverly had broken up.

Eddie gripped the book in his hands when he got off the subway, walking past his own street and continuing the four extra blocks to the public library. There were usually bulletin boards filled with book tour information, dates and locations for all the biggest authors. He desperately hoped Bill was a big enough author for the library to post his tour dates. He smiled at the librarian when he walked in, eyes jumping to the right wall where, next to a row of computers, a large bulletin board hung covered in fliers. His eyes scanned the fliers and his heart sunk when not a single one contained his friend’s name.

He stood still for a moment, tried to slow down the beating of his heart as he thought about what to do. What had he even planned, anyway? Fly out to wherever Bill was? Wait for him to come to the city? What if Bill didn’t even want to see him? What if the Losers hadn’t gotten that one letter he’d managed to mail, the one telling them there was no way to get in contact but to _please_ not forget him, he promised he still loved them all…

Leaving Derry had been the worst thing to ever happen to Eddie – worse than finding out his medications were placebos, worse than Henry Bowers breaking his arm, worse than being called gay slurs every day in the hallways at school. His mom had announced it at dinner when he was about to start his junior year of high school. He hadn’t even turned seventeen yet when she told him that in the next week they would be moving to Queens.

Eddie had stared at her blankly. He couldn’t process it, couldn’t get his brain to understand the words his mother was saying.

Once he had, though, he had left the dinner table, ignoring his mother’s shouts and cries, and biked to Richie’s house. Bill was there, too, the two boys were partners on a science project (though when Eddie arrived it didn’t seem like they were doing much homework), and after Maggie let Eddie in he’d burst into Richie’s bedroom.

The two boys had looked up from the video game they’d been playing and in moments were jumping up to hug Eddie, who hadn’t even realized he’d started crying.

All the Losers promised to call all the time, and to write letters every week. They wouldn’t lose touch, they promised, there was no way they could forget about him. He had gotten the phone number and address to his new house from his mom and given it to all his friends before he left. It sucked, and when he arrived in Queens, he couldn’t shake the emptiness he felt, but at least he would still be able to talk to his friends.

Except the phone calls never came. The letters never arrived. Eddie wrote his own and never got responses. He called each of them and no one answered. Within three weeks, Eddie knew something was wrong. He knew his friends wouldn’t just drop him the moment he moved. He could remember the day he’d asked his mom about it; asked her if something was wrong with the phone line, if her mail had been coming through.

“Of course, dear, why?”

“None of my friends are answering their phones,” Eddie said, warily. He didn’t like the pleasant smile she had painted on her face. “They’re not even going to an answering machine, it just keeps ringing.”

“Well that’s a shame, isn’t it?”

“What did you do?” He asked, hands clenched in fists. He wasn’t stupid; he knew her games and the faces she made while she played them.

“How on earth could I have done something, Eddie bear? I’m certainly not paying your friends to ignore your calls. Perhaps they didn’t like you as much as you thought they did.”

It felt like a weight had been dropped on his chest. “And the mail? I suppose you’re not intercepting letters, right?”

She smiled widely. “I would never!”

He had gone to his room and thrown himself on his bed, trying to figure out what to do. How was she blocking his calls from going out? He pulled his address book out, flipping to the page that held all the Loser’s phone numbers and home addresses. At this point he knew each phone number by heart and had sent each address at least three letters. The mail he assumed his mother was intercepting; it wouldn’t be hard. He was at school when the mailman stopped by; she could easily remove his outgoing letters from the box and throw out any letters he might be receiving. He would figure out a way to get around that.

But why weren’t his phone calls going through? Why wasn’t he receiving any?

He flipped the page in his address book to look at the phone number and address of his new home; he had written them both down so each of the Losers could copy them straight from his book.

His breath hitched as he read over the numbers. At the time he didn’t know their new number, but after having to fill out forms at his new school he’d gotten it memorized.

The number he had given his friends was not his new phone number.

The address was correct but the phone number was wrong. His hands shook with anger as he closed the book and returned to the living room.

“You made me give my friends the wrong phone number.” His voice was low, mean. The only other time he’d ever spoken in that tone to his mother was when he was in the hospital with a broken arm and she’d sent his friends away. He’d blackmailed her then; promised if she let his friends visit, he would keep using his fake inhaler. She’d cried. He’d told her to leave.

Now, she just sighed, loudly and sadly. “Now, Eddie bear –“

“No! You literally moved us to a different state to get me away from the only people that ever loved me and now you won’t even let me _call_ them!?”

“How dare you say I don’t love you! I love you more than – “

“No, you don’t love me. You love the _idea_ of me, the idea of the perfect son who bends to your every whim and takes care of you and who _needs_ you. But I’m not that person, Ma.”

She shook her head as though he’d gone crazy. “Now, Eddie. You’re being silly. I didn’t give you any wrong number – “

“I have it written down – “

“You must have heard me wrong, then, dear. And I certainly am not stealing your mail. You just need to accept the fact that those dirty kids were never really your friends to begin with. They never loved you, Eddie. I’m the only one that’s ever loved you.”

“I fucking hate you,” he told her, venom in his voice. Her eyes widened. She hadn’t been expecting it. “And I’m going to find out how you’re fucking with the phone lines, and I’m going to talk to my friends.”

He turned on his heel and returned to his bedroom, slamming the door behind him. He could remember pacing his room for hours, trying to come up with any solution, figure out any way that she could be sabotaging his calls. Was it through the phone company? Was there some kind of block that they could use on certain numbers so that calls never went through? He wasn’t sure if such a thing was even possible.

He could always call on a payphone, but he’d only have access to one during the school day, and none of his friends would even be home to answer. After hours of pacing, crying, and kicking random objects out of anger, he sat down to write six letters. He knew he wouldn’t receive any responses, but he needed his friends to know what was happening.

Once he’d explained the situation and given each friend his actual phone number, he had put the letters in his backpack. There was a post office on the way to school. He’d mailed the letters with a heavy heart, part of him believing it would be the last thing he ever said to any of his friends.

He never got any replies.

* * *

“Sir, do you need any assistance?”

Eddie jumped at the voice, putting a hand over his racing heart. The librarian apologized with a polite smile.

“Sorry, was lost in my own head for a moment,” Eddie told her. He bit his lip. “Actually, I was hoping to find some book tour information for a certain author. I’m not actually sure he’s even doing a book tour, but…”

“Of course! We only put up the really popular ones, but I get the info from all the major publishing houses,” she answered with a smile. “Come on over to the information desk and we’ll find what you’re looking for.”

His shaky hands held onto Bill’s book as he followed her to a large circular desk in the middle of the room. She sat down next to a large filing cabinet and looked up at him.

“What’s the author’s name, dear?”

“Uh, Bill – er, William Denbrough,” he answered awkwardly. She nodded and opened one of the drawers, flicking through the pages quickly. It looked like there were thousands of fliers in that one small drawer. Eddie wondered if anyone ever took the time to get rid of any out-of-date ones or if tours from five years ago still took up space.

“Aha!”

Eddie breathed in deeply, nervously, as the librarian pulled out a flier. She held it out to him and Bill’s face looked up at him.

“This who you’re looking for?”

“Yeah, this is – thank you so much, you have no idea – “

“Do you know him?”

Eddie blushed. “Uh, yeah. We were best friends. Lost touch when I moved, but…”

“Well, I’m sure it’ll be a fun reunion,” she said politely. “You can keep that, by the way. I’ve got an extra copy.”

Eddie thanked her again as his eyes scanned the page. Bill was currently in Nevada. Next he would be in Arizona, then three stops in California. Was he really going to do this? The amount of times he’d considered flying to Derry just to visit the parents of one of his friends in order to get contact information was more than he could count, but he’d never gathered up the courage. He had no idea where his friends ended up and he didn’t have the money for more than one trip.

Time had gotten away from him, too. Once he graduated high school and started attending university, his schedule became so jam-packed that thoughts of his friends had mostly faded to the back of his mind. He’d made acquaintances in New York, too. No one he’d consider a friend, but people he could chat with in class. And then came the whirlwind of college graduation and job hunting, and once he was working he was so tired by the time he got home each evening that he usually just ate dinner and went to sleep.

It was a sad and lonely existence, made worse by the fact that he didn’t have the money to get his own place.

He had an envelope stashed under his mattress filled with cash, because he no longer trusted the bank to keep his mother away from his account. Money from his part-time barista job that he’d had in college, and now a small portion of each paycheck that was leftover after he’d paid his bills filled the envelope. It was slow going, but he almost had enough that he felt comfortable branching out on his own. But if he did this, if he bought a plane ticket across the country, it would make a real dent in that savings.

When he arrived home, he ignored his mother’s greeting the way he normally did and went straight to his bedroom. He changed into sweats and sat on his bed, staring at the flier with Bill’s face on it. On Saturday, Bill would be in Arizona. Eddie could fly out to Arizona on Saturday morning and get to the bookstore in time for the 3 PM signing, then be back at the airport for an evening flight home. He wouldn’t have to pay for a hotel and he could get cheap fast food from the airport to tide him over.

He waited almost an hour before he heard his mom’s snores from the living room recliner. He slowly walked into the room to turn the television down, then grabbed the phone and brought it with him to the kitchen, stretching the cord around the corner. He looked up the number for the airport in the phone book and entered it with precision. He took a deep breath and called. He was disappointed when there wasn’t an option for an evening flight, so with hesitance he booked himself on a Sunday morning flight home, then asked for the number of the cheapest hotel near the airport.

* * *

At 4 AM on Saturday, Eddie grabbed his backpack, filled with things like baby wipes, chapstick, a water bottle, Bill’s book, and a change of clothes, and snuck out of the house. He took a taxi to the airport and boarded his flight with his heart in his throat. It was a little after noon when he landed, so he stopped for a quick lunch before he left the airport. There was a voice in his head telling him how stupid this was, that this was a mistake and he should just turn around and go home. _Bill won’t even recognize you. And if he does he’s not going to care. He’ll probably even be weirded out that you flew across the country to see him._

Eddie was almost in tears as his brain reminded him of every reason why this was a bad idea. He swallowed a lump in his throat as he rode in a taxi to the bookstore where Bill would be reading an excerpt and signing copies of his book.

“Are you getting out, sir?”

Eddie jumped. He had been staring out the window of the taxi, looking at the bookstore with trepidation.

“Uh, yeah, sorry,” he muttered, paying the man and jumping out of the car. There was a sign in the window that had the same picture of Bill that was on the flier. He still had over an hour before the event started but he entered the store anyway, hoping that browsing the shelves might calm his nerves a bit. His backpack felt heavy on his shoulders as he walked the New Releases aisle, his eyes scanning book titles without really seeing anything.

“We’ll be setting up the table right here, Mr. Denbrough,” a woman’s voice said. Eddie froze. The voice was on the other side of the shelf. “And the podium will be just a few feet this way.”

“Thank you.” Eddie’s breath caught in his throat. He stood, staring blankly at the shelf that separated him from his childhood best friend.

_Do something_, he told himself_. Get it over with instead of standing here like an idiot!_

He breathed in deeply and put his hands in his pockets so no one would see how badly they were shaking. It was like walking through quicksand, making his way to the end of the aisle and turning. There were four people with their backs to him, three women and one man, one man with auburn hair and a lanky, tall body. They were setting up for the event, two of the women setting up a podium with a microphone and another woman and Bill grabbing books from a cardboard box and stacking them on the table.

“Can I help you, sir?” One of the women at the podium asked, staring at him with a bit of a frown. “The event hasn’t started yet.”

“Uh,” Eddie said. He knew he looked like a fish out of water, literally, because he could tell his mouth was opening and closing as he tried to think of words to say.

And then Bill turned around, already smiling the fakest smile Eddie had ever seen on him, as though he’d been taught to always greet fans looking like a happy madman, and when his eyes met Eddie’s they widened. They were still the exact shade of blue. Eddie would have recognized him anywhere, even if he hadn’t seen the photo on the book and the flier.

“_Eddie?”_

A heavy breath escaped his lungs, one of relief that Bill had recognized him, that he hadn’t sounded disgusted or weirded out or confused.

“Just thought I’d drop by…” Eddie said awkwardly. Bill took a cautious step forward, face unreadable.

“It’s really you, then?” He asked, and Eddie nodded. A grin broke out on Bill’s face. “Holy fuck!”

“Bill!” One of the women scolded, but Bill ignored them in favor of crushing Eddie into a tight hug. Eddie wrapped his arms around Bill’s neck, not even upset that he had to stand on his toes to do so. Embarrassingly, he felt tears begin to form in his eyes.

“I can’t believe – do you live here now?” Bill asked when he pulled back. Eddie was pleased to note his eyes looked misty as well.

“No, I’m still in Queens,” he answered. Now was time for the embarrassing admission. “I – uh – I saw your book and uh… I got the dates of your book tour and decided to – you know, come see you.”

“You came from New York?”

“Yeah,” Eddie looked down. “I just saw the book Thursday. I haven’t known how to get a hold of anyone, and I saw your name and I just – I couldn’t just ignore it.”

“I’m so happy you did, dude,” Bill said, pulling him in for another hug. “Holy shit, we gotta call everybody!”

Knots formed in Eddie’s stomach. He wanted – _desperately_ – to talk to all of his friends, but at the same time the thought terrified him.

“You know, when we got that letter from you, the one a little bit after you moved, we were all fucked up about it. Richie wanted to just drive to New York to rescue you, but we had school and stuff, and plus none of us really had the gas money to drive to the movies, much less Queens.”

Eddie’s heart sped up. Richie had wanted to _rescue_ him?

“We still celebrate your birthday, you know,” Bill added, as though it were nothing. Eddie stared at him, jaw dropped. “We tried to decide on one time a year for us to all get together, since we’re kind of spread out now, and Richie suggested your birthday so that he wouldn’t be alone and mopey, so we all fly out to Mike’s beach house in Florida and spend a few days. We toast to you and everything.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yeah,” Bill said with a nod, glancing back at the women setting up his event. He turned back to Eddie. “By the way, did your mom ever tell you about the time we came to your house?”

Ice settled in his chest. “_What?”_

“It was like, the first semester of college, I think. It was just me, Richie, Bev, and Ben. Bev and Ben were sick of Richie’s whining, so we all flew to Queens and went to the address you’d given us. Honestly we weren’t even sure if it was the right one, since you said the phone number was wrong. But your mom answered the door. Started shrieking and going crazy, you know, saying you were out of town. We didn’t believe her so we sat at the end of the street waiting to see if you’d show up. We didn’t leave til like three in the morning, hoping you maybe worked a night shift or something. Eventually we realized she must’ve been telling the truth so we left. Spent a day doing tourist stuff and then went back home.”

Eddie couldn’t think of a time when he had felt so much anger. He couldn’t breathe with it, felt an itch under his skin that made him want to hit something. He took a few deep breaths the way the counselor at school had taught him, and when he could finally see straight he looked at Bill. “It must have been when I was away for a track meet.”

He remembered having two his first semester of college. He’d loved them at the time because they had gotten him away from his mother for two days each. Now he found himself wishing he’d never joined track in the first place.

“You ran track?” Bill looked shocked. “Your mom _let you_ run track?”

“Well, I told her it was either she let me run track or I would never speak to her again,” Eddie said casually. It hadn’t been the first time Eddie had threatened her with never speaking to her again, and it wasn’t the last.

“Fuck, dude.” Bill glanced around, happiness shining in his eyes. “That’s fucking awesome. You really told her that?”

Eddie found himself laughing. “Multiple times. I’m actually currently not speaking to her because she took money from my savings account so that I couldn’t move out.”

“She can do that? Isn’t that illegal?”

“It is! And yet, here we are. I have my savings hidden now. I actually brought it with me because as soon as she realizes I’m gone I know she’s going to tear my room apart.”

“When do you have to go back?” Bill asked, though he sounded like he didn’t want to hear the answer.

Eddie frowned. “I’ve got a flight tomorrow morning.”

“No –“ Bill paused. “I’m going to be in LA on Monday. Can’t you change your flight? You can fly out Monday night but –“

“I have work,” Eddie answered. “I mean, LA sounds fun, I guess, but – “

“No, it’s where Bev and Ben and Richie live,” Bill interrupted, his voice getting louder. “You _have_ to come. Bev will cry if she found out I saw you and she didn’t, and Richie would probably murder me. You have to! It’s one day! Just call in sick! I can take care of your flight stuff, my assistant can get you on the plane with me to California and get you a new flight home – “

“They’re in LA?” Eddie’s voice was barely a whisper. His heart pounded; he was so _close_. His favorite fucking person in the world was _so close_.

“Yeah, they rent a house together,” Bill answered, wide grin on his face like he knew he had won.

“And you’re gonna see them?” Eddie asked hopefully.

“Yeah! I’m staying with them! And you can, too!” Bill was barely containing his excitement now, blue eyes bright and scrunched from how big he was smiling. Then he gasped. “WE CAN MAKE IT A SURPRISE!”

“_Bill!”_ The woman who had admonished him before spoke again. Her eyebrows were raised. “Keep your voice down! I’m already doing your half of the work anyway!”

“That’s Audra, she’s my assistant,” Bill introduced. “Audra, this is Eddie. As in, Eddie with the crazy mom that hid him away Eddie!”

“Oh!” She stepped forward, holding a hand out for him to shake.

Eddie laughed a little. “You make it sound very dramatic, Billy.”

“You were basically Rapunzel, man,” he responded jokingly.

“I suppose you’re right,” Eddie shrugged, shaking Audra’s hand and looking over at Bill, finally feeling the emptiness he’d learned to live with begin to fill.

* * *

“There’s actually a flight we can catch that would get us in LA by like, 10 tonight,” Bill told him as they packed unsold books back into a box. “I booked the morning one to get some rest after the signing but I think we should get there as soon as possible.”

“Really?” Eddie’s nerves were back. Bill had been so receptive but what if the others weren’t?

“Yeah! Dude, everybody’s missed you so much,” Bill said. “I’ll get Audra to book it. We’ll head straight to the airport. You don’t have a car with you, right? No rental?”

“No,” Eddie replied, watching with wide eyes as Bill bounced away to talk to his assistant. _Everybody’s missed you so much_. Was he telling the truth? Or just trying to make Eddie feel better? He had certainly missed them; he thought about them almost every day, felt his hatred for his mother grow every time he pictured their faces in his mind. But he never imagined it to be mutual. He’d hoped maybe at least Richie – but that’s because they were best friends, they spent every minute they could together even if those minutes were spent biting each other’s heads off. Eddie would never admit it out loud, but Richie had always been his favorite; nobody else handled his certain brand of crazy the way Richie had.

And now he was one short flight away. He was going to see him soon, and as the thought planted in his mind he felt an excited buzz all over. After five years he was going to see the person he missed more than anything.

* * *

“Do you wanna talk to Mike and Stan?” Bill asked as they sat at the gate, waiting for their plane to arrive. “They both should be off work by now, we can call them.”

Eddie nodded. He watched as Bill typed numbers into his Nokia, fighting the urge to make fun of him for having a bright blue mobile phone, then took the phone when Bill offered it to him.

“Wait, who am I calling?” He asked, listening to the ringing in his ear. Before Bill could answer, the ringing stopped.

“Hello?”

Eddie’s eyes widened. Bill could hear the voice as well, and he looked like he wanted to laugh. He took the phone back and said, “Hey, Patty, it’s Bill. Is Stan around?”

“_Patty_?”

He handed the phone back to Eddie.

“Hello?” He sounded so similar to how he did as a teenager. Eddie’s grip on the phone tightened and he blinked back the tears in his eyes. “Bill?”

“Um,” his voice caught, and he cleared his throat. “Actually, it’s Eddie.”

There was silence for a few seconds. “No. _What_? No.”

Eddie snorted. “Uh, yeah, actually. My voice hasn’t dropped _that_ much, Stanley.”

Bill laughed loudly, loud enough that Stan could probably hear him.

“Holy shit! You escaped!”

“Snuck out at 4 in the morning and everything,” he grinned, loosening his grip on the phone. He felt a wave of calmness rush over him at the sound of Stan’s voice.

“Wow. For a minute I hoped she’d just died.”

Eddie cackled, listening to Stan’s small chuckle on the other line. He could picture that smile, the one he got after he made a joke in that deadpan voice.

“We haven’t gotten that lucky yet, I’m afraid.” Eddie calmed down, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes. “I actually saw Bill’s book at a bookstore and managed to figure out where he was on his book tour.”

“Are you with the others yet?” Stan asked. Part of Eddie felt like he’d been punched; they were all still so close. Stan knew Bill’s schedule, knew where he would be, and it sounded like a call from Bill was a normal occurrence.

“We’re waiting on a flight right now,” Eddie said, swallowing back his emotions. He could wait to let the anger at his mother take over, once he wasn’t with his friends anymore. He continued speaking to Stan for a few more minutes, then with a promise to call back soon, hung up. “Alright, now Mike.”

Bill dialed the number. “It’ll be him that answers.”

“Yeah, we’re gonna have to talk about who the hell Patty is,” Eddie said, as the ringing started. It was only a few moments before Mike picked up.

“Hi,” Eddie said through a smile. “It’s Eddie.”

“_Eddie!?”_ The excitement was obvious in Mike’s voice. “_Eddie Kaspbrak_!?”

“How many other Eddies do you have running around?”

“Are you with Bill?” Mike asked, ignoring his comment. “Pretty sure I recognized this as Bill’s number.”

“Yeah,” Eddie answered. He couldn’t stop grinning. Mike sounded exactly the same. He could picture the big smile on his face. “I came to see him on his book tour and then he kidnapped me, so we’re about to go to California.”

“Kidnap is a strong word,” Bill interrupted.

“Well if you’d showed up in Florida, I would’ve kidnapped you too!” Mike laughed. “So you’re going to see Richie? Should I expect a wedding invitation within the week?”

Eddie gasped. “_Mike!”_

“Oh come on, we’re Losers, not stupid.” Eddie could hear his grin.

“I – “ Eddie bit his lip. Had everyone really known about his crush? He’d thought it was hidden so well. “I’m also going to see Bev and Ben.”

“Riiiight,” Mike said. Eddie rolled his eyes. They stayed on the line until their flight was called, and Eddie felt lighter than he had in years.

* * *

“So, Richie probably won’t be home yet,” Bill told him as they sat in the back of the taxi. Eddie was clutching his backpack, nerves in full force. They were a twenty-minute drive away. He was going to pass out. “He’s been doing stand-up on the side and usually has a gig on the weekends. Ben and Bev will be home though, I called them to let them know I was coming early.”

“Okay,” Eddie nodded, taking a deep breath. “Did you tell them I was coming?”

“Nope,” Bill answered. “I told you, you’re a surprise.”

Eddie looked over at his friend, watching as the lights flickered over his face when they drove beneath a street lamp.

“When did the stutter stop?”

Bill looked surprised. “Oh. Uh, I mean it was getting better when you left. But I haven’t really stuttered since I left Derry.”

“That’s amazing, Bill.” Eddie reached over and patted his shoulder. Even in the darkness of the car, Eddie could see a flush on Bill’s cheeks. He changed the subject. “So where is Audra? Is she the only one that travels with you?”

“One other guy that works for the publishing company does as well,” Bill said. “Usually we’re all at a hotel but when I’m in the same city as friends I stay with them. They’ll meet us at the signing on Monday.”

Eddie nodded and they lapsed into a comfortable silence. When they pulled up to a house and stopped, Eddie took a moment to stare. It looked like it had been around a decade or two, but it seemed well taken care of. The exterior was a pale yellow and bright green grass covered the yard. The front door was white with a little gold knocker. Eddie smiled. He could picture his friends living here. He felt a sense of pride in them for making something of themselves.

“C’mon,” Bill urged, and Eddie followed him out of the car. He waited while Bill got his suitcase from the trunk and paid the driver. “I’ll go in first. Just – stay behind me.”

Eddie rolled his eyes at Bill’s antics but did as he said. He stood behind Bill as he knocked. When the door opened, Bill said, “Hope it’s okay if I brought a guest.”

“Are you telling me you have other friends?” Eddie grinned so hard his cheeks hurt. He peeked around Bill’s shoulder to see Beverly in shorts and a t-shirt, her red hair pulled into a messy bun.

“He does, actually,” Eddie said. Beverly’s eyes were wide and she stared at him without blinking. Then, she gasped wetly and threw herself out the door, wrapping her arms around his neck.

“_WHAT THE FUCK!?_” She shouted, once she’d hugged him tight enough to cut off his air supply. “BEN!”

She had her hands on his cheeks as though she couldn’t believe he was real. Eddie could see tears in her eyes.

“Why are you screaming?” Eddie looked up at the sound of a new voice. He smiled at Ben, who looked shocked. “Oh. Okay.”

Bev didn’t let go of him as they walked into the house. She backed away long enough to let him hug Ben before she pounced again, dragging him to a well-worn couch in what Eddie assumed was the living room.

She grabbed his face again and planted a kiss on his forehead. Eddie laughed, listening as Ben helped Bill with his suitcase.

“I don’t even know what to ask first. You’re here! How are you here?”

She finally sat back, looking as though she’d just finished running a marathon. Eddie began to explain everything again, smiling because Beverly was clutching his hand like she was scared he was going to disappear.

When he finished talking, she glanced at her watch. “You know what? I’m gonna see if I can catch Richie before his set, let him know to come straight home when he’s done. You know him, he’ll spend two hours talking to random strangers if you don’t reign him in.”

Eddie’s heart sped up in his chest as Beverly sat next to him and grabbed a phone from the side table. Eddie was a little surprised all his friends seemed to have mobiles, because he certainly didn’t have the money for one and even if he did, his mother would probably steal it and burn it.

He could hear the ringing from how close he was sitting to Bev. He wiped his hands on his pants, suddenly clammy.

“Hello?”

His breath hitched.

“Hey, have you gone on yet?” Bev asked, grinning at Eddie. Eddie looked down at his lap, watching his hands shake.

“Not yet, starts in about ten mintues,” Richie said, his voice a little tinny through the speaker.

“Okay, well I just wanted to let you know that Bill got in early, so you should come straight home when you’re done,” Beverly told him.

“Oh,” Richie said. “Well, I did plan on fucking the bartender on the way out, but if Big Bill – “

“Beep-beep, dumbass,” Beverly said with a laugh. Eddie had to fight to hold back a sob, hands flying up to cover his mouth. Beverly didn’t notice as she said her goodbyes with Richie. When she finally looked back at Eddie, he was hunched over, knee bouncing, tears starting to fall. “Hey, what happened? What’s wrong? You know he was just kidding about the bartender – “

“No, it’s not –“ He stopped, cleared his throat. “I just… I missed so much. I missed _everything_, and he still makes stupid jokes about fucking people, and you still say beep-beep, and –“

Beverly wrapped him up in her arms as he cried. It felt like five years’ worth of missed opportunities were flooding out of him at once. Suddenly, another pair of arms wrapped around him from behind, and another pair from the side. He smiled through the tears, promising himself that this time, he’d fight harder to keep his friends in his life. 

* * *

When he was finished crying into Beverly’s shirt, she offered him a shower and showed him the guest room. “Bill’s going to be on the couch so you can have the bed.”

“Oh, no, that’s not necessary at all, the couch is fine – “

“You’re the guest of honor,” she said, gesturing at the full-sized bed in the small bedroom. It looked freshly cleaned, like they had prepared it for Bill’s arrival. “Seriously.”

“Uh…” Eddie bit his lip as he put his backpack down on the bed. He opened it and grabbed the one pair of jeans, one t-shirt, one pair of socks, and one pair of underwear that he’d packed. “I wasn’t planning on staying more than a night, and I thought I’d be in a hotel, so.”

“Oh!” Bev nodded, running to another room. Eddie stood awkwardly as he waited for her to return. When she did, she held a few articles of clothing in her hands. “They might be a tiny bit big, I’m working off of a mannequin, but it should be really close to your size.”

Eddie took the clothes from her. There was a black t-shirt with a red flower design where a pocket would be, and black joggers with the same flower design but smaller running up the seam of each leg.

“Are you saying you _made_ these?” Eddie asked her. She nodded, smiling shyly. “Bev, this is amazing!”

“Thanks,” she said. “I did fashion design in college. I’m working as an assistant designer right now but when I’m at home I’m working on my own stuff. I’m really into comfy-casual right now, hence the outfit.”

Eddie congratulated and thanked her profusely, then took the clothes into the bathroom attached to the guest room.

He took his time in the shower, knowing they still had over an hour before Richie would be home. He spent the whole time doing deep breathing exercises, hoping to calm himself down a little. He’d seen a school-provided counselor in college who had taught him a few coping skills to deal with his anxiety, but sometimes it still felt like his throat was going to close up and the only thing that would save him was an inhaler that was at the bottom of a drawer in his bathroom.

He got dressed slowly, too, listening to his friends’ voices and laughter and smiling to himself. He’d really done it. He’d really fucking done it.

When he returned to the living room, Bev and Ben were sitting on the couch, Bev curled under Ben’s arm. He raised an eyebrow at that but didn’t comment. Bill was in one of the armchairs next to the couch.

“Come on, Eddie,” Bev said, jumping up. “I’m sure you’re hungry.”

She led him into the kitchen, going straight to the refrigerator. She grabbed a water bottle and handed it to him.

“Thanks.” She nodded. He took a drink before he spoke. “So…. You and Ben.”

Beverly blushed. “Yeah. Me and Ben.”

“Well the last time I saw you it was you and _Bill_, so you’re gonna have to fill me in.”

She laughed. “Bill and I broke up at the beginning of junior year. When we all went off to college, me, Ben, and Richie all came out here and… It just happened, I guess. Apparently he had always had a crush on me.”

Eddie snorted. “Uh, yeah, I knew that because I have eyes.”

She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah, I’m oblivious – I’ve been told.”

The sound of the front door opening and closing quieted them. Eddie froze, lungs closing up as a familiar voice rang through the house.

“_Billiam_!”

“Hey! Are you coming?” Eddie looked up; Bev was already walking back to the living room. He stared at her, panicking. “Hey, come on, it’s just Richie.”

Eddie wanted to argue that there was no such thing as _just Richie_, but she was already grabbing his hand and tugging, just as they heard Bill say, “I brought you a surprise.”

“It’s not another book, is it?” Richie groaned. “Because I love you, I do, but I only just finished this one and –“

Eddie stood at the edge of the living room. Richie was facing away from him. He found himself unable to move, unable to speak, unable to breathe.

“Not a book,” Bill promised with a smirk. “Turn around.”

Eddie sucked in a breath as Richie turned, confusion on his face that melted quickly into disbelief. He stood still, eyes locked on Eddie’s. Eddie knew he was blushing, could feel the heat on his cheeks. He didn’t know what to say.

Abruptly, Richie rushed forward, pulling him into a hug. He put his arms around Richie’s neck, stood on tiptoe, and buried his face in his shoulder. He choked out a sob. He could feel himself shaking, opened his mouth to apologize, and then realized Richie was shaking, too, Richie was crying, too, Richie was holding onto him like he never wanted to let go.

“I’m hungry. Are you hungry, Bill? What about you, Ben? Let’s go to the kitchen,” Beverly’s voice cut through the silence, causing Eddie to laugh against Richie’s shoulder. After a few moments they were alone in the living room. Reluctantly, Eddie lifted his head. Richie’s head was hooked over Eddie’s shoulder and he wasn’t moving, so Eddie brought a hand up to cup his neck.

“Rich?”

Richie’s arms just tightened around him. He could feel Richie shake his head, as if to say _no, I’m not ready to let go yet._

“Can we at least sit down? In case you’ve forgotten, I’m not a giraffe,” Eddie said quietly, drawing a wet laugh from Richie. He finally lifted his head and their eyes met up close.

“You’re really here?” Richie whispered. “Eds, you’re really here, you’re really –“

“Yeah, I’m really here,” he answered softly. Richie was smiling as he wiped tears off his cheeks. He wouldn’t let go of Eddie’s arms as he sat down on the couch, pulling Eddie with him. Eddie ended up pressed against Richie’s side, and without thinking he turned his body so that he was almost in his lap. Richie had an arm around him, but it still didn’t feel close enough.

Richie’s eyes were roaming his face, so Eddie did the same, memorizing every freckle and bump, the shape of his glasses, the slope of his nose, the blue of his eyes. He bit his lip to keep from bursting into tears again. It didn’t feel real. He didn’t know what to say or do, he didn’t know how much Richie had changed, how much he had grown. He finally brought a shaking hand up to tap the side of Richie’s glasses.

“These are new,” he commented quietly.

Richie nodded slowly. Eddie bit his lip. It would be really helpful if Richie could say _something_. Instead of speaking, he let his head fall until their foreheads pressed together. Eddie remembered doing the same thing the day he left for New York and he closed his eyes against the memory. He didn’t want to think about that right now, not when Richie was right here in front of him.

“I don’t know what to say,” Richie mumbled. Eddie could feel his breath, they were so close.

“That’s a first,” he said, the corners of his mouth upturned.

Richie smiled. “Fuck off, my brain isn’t working properly.”

“I didn’t know it ever had,” Eddie said, grin growing bigger.

Richie laughed and shoved him, but before his back hit the couch he was being pulled back, Richie saying. “No, don’t fuck off. Fuck… on… No. That’s not right.”

Eddie loved the little smile on his face. “No, that’s _not_ right,” he agreed. “But I won’t. Fuck off, I mean. At least not until Monday.”

Richie’s face fell. “That’s it?”

Eddie looked down, unable to look into Richie’s eyes when they looked so disappointed. “I’ve got work, I’m already calling in sick one day – “

“What do you do?” Richie interrupted.

“I’m an assistant to a risk analyst,” Eddie told him.

Richie blinked.

“It has to do with finances. Making sure companies are making smart financial decisions.”

“That sounds boring as fuck, Spaghetti,” Richie answered.

Eddie spent half a second being offended, then shrugged. “Yeah, it is. And Jesus Christ don’t call me Spaghetti.”

Richie’s grin was back. He finally pulled back a little, though they were still pressed up against each other. “So we really just have tomorrow, then?”

Eddie looked down and started playing with a loose thread on Richie’s jeans. It was a habit he used to have, one that Richie had always found hilarious for some reason. “I mean. And tonight and tomorrow night and part of Monday.”

Richie was quiet, and they sat listening to the sounds of conversation from the kitchen for a few minutes.

“How are you here?”

Eddie told him the whole story, even going all the way back to tell him about high school and college. Eventually their friends returned to the living room, no one commenting on how close they were sitting.

“Eddie, did you want anything to eat? We didn’t get a chance – “

“Actually – “ Richie interrupted. Eddie turned his head to look at him and saw he was already looking back. “Are you still a fan of breakfast for dinner?”

Eddie scoffed. “Obviously.”

“There’s a diner not far from here that we could go to. Since we only have a couple nights, we should make the most of it, right?”

Eddie nodded. “That sounds good.”

Richie looked away, glancing at the other three. “You guys aren’t invited.”

Eddie snorted, smacking his arm. “Don’t be an asshole!”

“It’s not being an asshole, it’s being honest. Bill’s had you _all day!”_

“I need to go to bed anyway,” Bill said with a laugh. “It’s been a long day.”

“We just ate,” Bev added. Ben nodded. “We’ll see you guys later, then?”

“Let me change real quick,” Richie said, standing up. Eddie felt cold without him.

“I need to grab some socks,” he muttered, then followed Richie down the hall. Richie was standing in the doorway of the guest room. Eddie stopped a foot away. “Is there a password?”

Richie shook his head. “No but I wanted to make sure you weren’t going to change clothes.”

Eddie furrowed his brow. “I wasn’t planning on it… Why?”

“Because you look really cute in this so you should keep wearing it,” he answered, holding eye contact. Eddie felt his cheeks heat up and his breath hitch. Richie used to call him cute all the time, but never in a way that felt like he actually meant it. Richie gave him a small smile. “Anyway, I’m gonna go put on something more comfortable.”

Eddie watched him walk down the hallway and turn. He went into the guest room to grab socks and put them on, head spinning. He went back to the living room and grabbed his shoes from where they sat by the front door.

Beverly and Ben had taken over the couch, Ben sprawled across all three cushions and Beverly half on top of him.

“Have fun on your _daaate_,” Beverly sang.

“I’m not answering you,” Eddie told her, crossing his arms and sticking up his nose. Without changing his tone, he added, “also, you guys look very cute and I hope you’re happy together. And I know my voice sounds mean and my arms are crossed but I mean it very sincerely.”

Beverly cackled. Ben laughed, shaking his head. “Are you incapable of using a nice voice or something?”

“I can sound nice!”

“Even as you said that, you don’t sound nice,” Beverly retorted.

“You’re absolutely bonkers, Beverly. Edward is the nicest boy I ever did meet.”

Eddie turned, eyebrows raised. “Holy shit, the British guy actually sounds British now!”

Richie bowed. “I’m here all week.”

“Shut up and leave, we’re trying to cuddle in peace,” Beverly said, waving them away. Richie, now in sweatpants and a t-shirt, grabbed Eddie’s hand and tugged him out the front door. Eddie followed, walking down the front path only to run into Richie’s back when he stopped suddenly.

“What?”

Richie turned and wrapped his arms around Eddie’s waist again. Eddie’s heart raced as he hugged back, holding on tightly. This hug was shorter, and Richie looked a little embarrassed when he pulled away.

“Sorry, I just can’t believe you’re here,” he said, shaking his head. Before Eddie could answer he was on his way to the car at the end of the driveway. Eddie climbed into the passenger seat, not in the slightest surprised by the mess.

“Have you ever cleaned this car out?” He asked, picking up a half-empty water bottle from where it was wedged behind him and dropping it to the floorboard. Richie just laughed as though the idea of ever cleaning his car was ludicrous.

They continued their conversation from before as Richie drove. Eddie was explaining his commute to work in detail when they pulled into the parking lot of a 24-hour diner. It had a retro theme and Eddie loved it.

“Nice, right? When we first found it I couldn’t stop thinking about how much you’d love it.” Richie said as they walked in. Eddie nodded, glancing around at the checkered floor and red barstools and the line of booths.

“Seat yourself!” A voice from behind the counter called, so they sat in the first booth.

Once a waitress had stopped by and taken their drink orders, Eddie spoke. “Your turn. Tell me everything that’s happened since I left.”

“Oh,” Richie said. “Uh – there’s really not much. Moved out here with Ben and Bev after graduation. At first I was working as a waiter and auditioning for like, everything imaginable, but the pay wasn’t great – some days I’d make bank and other days people would decide tipping their waiter isn’t necessary, so. Bev has this friend from school that got me in at this radio station. For like, two years I was pretty much the guy that got everyone coffee and shit. But this last year I’ve been helping out with the actual shows, doing a lot of behind the scenes shit, you know?”

Eddie nodded, though he had no idea what shit there was to do behind the scenes of a radio show.

“Anyway. One of the hosts does some stand-up and I guess he thought I was funny or something because he told me about this gig that I should go for. I’d never done stand-up so he helped me come up with a few bits and I ended up getting the gig. It was like, opening for an opener, but still. Now I usually have at least one show booked a weekend. A few weeks ago I had my first headlining gig, but usually I open. Shorter time on stage means less material to memorize, at least, so that’s good.”

“That’s amazing, Richie,” Eddie said. “Seriously. I’m so proud of you.”

Richie’s cheeks were red and he started playing with the wrapper from his straw. “I mean, it’s okay. The pay for it’s awful but it’s fun.”

“Dude, you’re getting paid to tell your jokes. No matter what amount they’re paying you, that’s been your dream for like, ever. Give yourself more credit.”

Richie nodded. The waitress returned and they ordered massive amounts of breakfast food before returning to their conversation.

“Anyway, that’s really it. It hasn’t been that interesting,” Richie continued with a shrug.

Fighting against every instinct he had, Eddie asked, “What about dating? Any girlfriends?”

“Uh.” Richie bit his lip. “I’ve dated a little, I guess. Um… Girls and – and guys.”

Eddie’s mouth opened to say something but nothing came out.

“Nothing ever really stuck,” Richie said, before Eddie could figure out how to respond. “I’ve made some friends, though. So I’m not – You know. Lonely. Or whatever.”

“Oh,” Eddie said dumbly.

Richie looked up sadly. “Does that freak you out? That I – You know.”

“No!” Eddie exclaimed. He picked up his glass of water and took a drink, ignoring how obviously his hands were shaking. “No, I just. Uh. I don’t know.”

“Yeah,” Richie sighed, staring at the straw wrapper that was wrapped around his pointer finger. “Um, we can leave, if you want. I’m sorry I – “

“No, Richie, I don’t – “ Eddie reached over the table to grab his hand. “I just need a minute, okay?”

Richie nodded, settling back into the seat. They sat quietly for a few moments before their food was brought out. He picked up a fork and poked at his eggs, suddenly feeling like his tongue was too big for his mouth. Why couldn’t he just say it? Richie already said it first!

“Eddie, are you sure – “

“I don’t like girls,” he blurted to his eggs.

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“Cool,” Richie breathed. Without looking at Eddie, he picked up a fork and knife and began to cut his pancakes with such focus that Eddie began to laugh. Richie glanced up, confused.

“I’m sorry, you just – “ Eddie coughed. “I’ve never seen you so focused. And it’s a fucking _pancake_.”

Richie stared blankly at him then broke into an embarrassed grin. “Shut the fuck up, dickwad.”

Eddie continued to laugh. Eventually, Richie joined in. Conversation flowed naturally as they ate, catching each other up on every detail of their lives they could think of. Richie told some of his jokes that left Eddie in stitches; Eddie told Richie about all the times he’d defied his mom. Richie caught Eddie up on each of the Losers; he finally learned who Patty was, found out Mike was in graduate school to become a librarian, and learned that Bill definitely had the hots for his assistant.

By the time there was a lull in the conversation, it was almost four AM.

“Well, shit, Spaghetti, you sure can talk a lot,” Richie commented, looking at his watch.

“Stop calling me Spaghetti, dipshit,” he responded automatically. “And I talk a lot? That’s the pot calling the kettle black.”

Richie waved him off as they climbed out of the booth. Eddie bit back a smile as they walked to the car, Richie’s hand bumping his own with every step. 

* * *

Eddie and Richie toed off their shoes and walked quietly into the hallway, passing a sleeping Bill on the way. When they made it to the guest room, Eddie flipped on the lights and stepped inside.

“I don’t really want to go to bed yet,” he admitted, not looking at Richie. “If you do, that’s fine, I just – “

“I would stay awake forever to talk to you, Spaghetti,” Richie said. It was a joke, but Eddie still felt his heart speed up. “But maybe we could go to my room? The bed’s bigger.”

Nodding and with his heart in his throat, Eddie followed Richie down the hall. Richie pointed to a door on the left, “That’s Ben and Bev’s room.”

He opened a door a little farther down. “Obviously I didn’t know you were coming, so…”

Eddie chuckled. “I know just how messy you are, Richie.”

“And you still love me anyway,” Richie gloated, closing the door behind Eddie.

“I did come to California for you.” He looked around the room. Band posters hung on the walls, clothes scattered on the floor. A large bed in the corner was unmade but looked soft and inviting. A huge stereo sat on a shelf, three rows of CDs beneath it.

“And Ben and Bev,” Richie said. Eddie had to think back to remember what he’d said.

“And Ben and Bev,” he agreed, still looking around to avoid Richie’s eyes. “I like your room.”

“Uh, thanks.” Eddie heard the sound of Richie sitting on the mattress. He finally turned around and joined him, sitting at the foot of the bed and facing his friend. A tension that hadn’t existed in the restaurant was stifling them now. Eddie stared at Richie’s comforter, a dark blue that matched his eyes, and bit his lip. Finally, Richie’s voice broke the silence. “I missed you.”

Eddie squeezed his eyes shut, already feeling tears building behind his lids. He nodded. “I missed you, too.”

“Your mom fucking sucks,” Richie stated, pulling a laugh from Eddie’s chest. “We even went to your house once to try and get you out of there, but you weren’t there.”

“Bill told me,” Eddie said quietly.

“Did he tell you that instead of going with him and Bev to walk around New York, I stayed in our hotel room and cried?”

“_Rich_.”

“Or that I spent the rest of high school walking around like a fucking ghost, because I didn’t even realize how much I needed you until you were gone?”

“_Stop_, you’re making yourself upset,” Eddie murmured. “I know how much it hurt, okay? It hurt for me, too. I cried every day for so long after we moved. I couldn’t make friends because I compared everyone to you guys and no one was good enough.”

He scooted closer, until he could reach out and touch Richie’s cheek, wipe away the few tears that had fallen. Richie leaned into the touch.

“I’m here now, okay? We don’t have to think about all that anymore.”

“You were always my favorite, you know,” Richie confessed.

“I think everybody knew that,” Eddie responded. “And that you were my favorite, too.”

“Do you wanna… I mean, like when we were kids, you could stay in here, if you want to. Give Bill the guest room so he doesn’t have to sleep on the couch again.”

Eddie nodded before Richie finished talking. “Where did you go, after I moved? When you couldn’t sleep?”

Richie shrugged. “Just stayed home.”

“You know any of the others would’ve let you – “

“Wouldn’t be the same. Half the nights I spent at your house I didn’t even sleep. It was just better when you were there.”

“How’s your sleep now?”

“’bout the same,” he said offhandedly. “I’m pretty used to it at this point.”

“You should see a doctor or something, Rich, it’s not good for you,” Eddie insisted.

The corners of Richie’s mouth twitched. “Always lookin’ out for me, Doctor K.”

“I’ve got five years to make up for, you’re lucky I don’t drag you to the doctor for a check-up myself,” he said.

“God, five fucking years,” Richie grumbled.

“Hey! No thinking about it, remember?”

Richie rolled his eyes, falling back onto the pillows. Eddie followed, collapsing beside him.

“Do you like it there?” Richie questioned. “In New York?”

Eddie sighed and turned onto his back. Their arms were pressed together between them. Richie’s fingers were moving, occasionally brushing the back of Eddie’s hand and leaving him buzzing.

“I don’t,” he admitted. “I picture myself moving out and getting my own place like that’s going to make me happy. But I’ll still be in New York. I can’t afford to move too far, I’ll barely be able to afford rent as it is. Everything’ll be the same except instead of coming home to my mother, I’ll be coming home to an empty apartment.”

“Eds, it shouldn’t be like that,” Richie insisted. “You don’t have to be miserable your whole life.”

Eddie’s breath hitched as Richie’s hand closed around his, locking their fingers together.

“I’m not miserable right now,” Eddie breathed.

“But you’ll be miserable when you get home on Monday,” Richie reminded him.

“I have a job.”

“Can you only be a risk whatever-the-fuck in New York?”

Eddie bit his lip, hating himself for considering it. He couldn’t afford it. He couldn’t just leave his brand-new job, it was too risky, and who’s to say he’d like it anywhere else?

“It’s risk analyst,” he whispered.

“Eds.”

“Richie. I don’t have money. I already made a huge fucking dent in my savings to come here, to see you guys again. Until I start making more, this trip is all the happiness I can get.”

“That’s such bullshit,” Richie argued. “You act like we wouldn’t help you. You’ve got options because you’ve got friends. Nobody would mind letting you stay with them while you get on your feet, Eddie.”

“Los Angeles is expensive,” Eddie croaked. He sniffled, closing his eyes when Richie squeezed his hand.

“You could go to Florida with Mike, or Atlanta with Stan,” he suggested, though he didn’t sound enthused.

“I wouldn’t want to go to Florida or Atlanta,” he mumbled. He felt Richie turn to face him, but he kept his eyes closed.

“We have a whole empty bedroom, Eds. We’re already perfectly fine paying the rent, you wouldn’t need to worry about it until you find a job – “

“I wouldn’t want to be in the empty bedroom,” he whispered.

“Eddie, can you please look at me?” Richie pleaded. “Eddie, _please_?”

Eddie turned his head slowly, choking back tears when he felt Richie’s hand on his cheek. He opened his eyes and looked at Richie. The blue in his eyes looked darker than usual. Eddie unthinkingly moved closer.

“You wouldn’t have to be in the empty bedroom,” Richie said. “I’m absolutely certain Ben and Bev would not be opposed to a third in their re-“

“Oh my god,” Eddie choked on a laugh, watching Richie’s face light up. “Shut up, you’re such a fucking dick.”

“No, seriously,” Richie started, pulling Eddie back in. His eyes were closed now, so Eddie watched his lips. “I’m – My bed is yours, yeah?”

Eddie squeezed Richie’s hand this time.

Richie took a deep breath and opened his eyes. “And I am, too, if you want.”

The hairs on the back of his neck stood up, and he leaned in closer until their foreheads touched. “I want to.”

“I can help you, Eds. Whatever you need, I’m not – you can’t just leave again, I can’t – please don’t leave again.”

“I just need some time to think. It’s a lot, you know?”

“Yeah, I know,” Richie sighed.

“Can we talk about it on Monday?” Richie nodded. Eddie swallowed. “Can you kiss me?”

Richie choked, the hand on Eddie’s cheek moving backwards into his hair. “I want to,” he promised. “_So_ bad. But I can’t – It’s going to be hard enough if you go back. I can’t – I can’t do it if I know what it feels like to kiss you.”

“Okay,” he sniffled, reaching up to touch Richie’s cheek. “I just need to think, okay?”

“Yeah.”

“And no matter what, we’re still best friends, Rich. I’m not – I’m going to do whatever I have to if I go back to talk to you. It won’t be like last time,” he swore.

“Okay,” Richie finally said, after a few moments of silence. He pulled away from Eddie, who felt empty without him. “I’m gonna turn the light off; we should go to sleep.”

* * *

“EDWARD KASPBRAK, GET YOUR ASS OUT OF BED!”

Eddie blinked, groaned, then let his face fall into his pillow. The voice was loud but distant. He was pretty sure it was Bev but she sounded so far away that he couldn’t bring himself to answer.

“EDWARD KASPBRAK, _WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU?”_

From beside Eddie, Richie groaned loudly, then yelled back, “SHUT THE FUCK UP, MARSH, SOME OF US HAD A LATE NIGHT!”

Eddie snorted. After a few moments, Richie’s bedroom door swung open.

“Honestly, I should’ve just looked here first,” Beverly sighed. “It’s almost noon, get up! I haven’t seen you in five years, you’re not allowed to sleep this weekend away!”

“I’m gettin’ up,” Eddie mumbled into the pillow. When Bev didn’t say anything back, he thought maybe he’d won. Just as he started to drift back to sleep, a pillow hit him in the back of the head.

“Doesn’t look like you’re getting up,” Bev commented, standing over him. He rolled over, blinking in the bright light of Richie’s room. “Come on, we’re all going to lunch together.”

“What if we’re not hungry?” Richie asked. He had the blanket up to his chin and had kept his eyes closed.

“Doesn’t matter, you’re not invited.”

Eddie laughed. Richie shoved at him which only had him laughing harder. They started shoving at each other, laughter filling the room, until finally Eddie pushed hard enough that Richie rolled off the bed. Eddie glanced over the edge to see him lying face up at Bev’s feet.

“Hello, Bev,” he greeted, smiling up at her. She rolled her eyes. “Am I really not invited?”

“As long as you’re dressed and ready in ten minutes, you can come. Don’t push it, Tozier.”

“Ten minutes!?” Eddie screeched. He bounded from the bed, jumping over Richie who was still on the floor. His friends’ laughter followed him all the way down the hall.

* * *

The group was just returning from a full day of exploring; Bev, Ben, and Richie wanted to show Eddie all their favorite places, from shopping to food to just hanging out. As he walked through the front door of the house, Eddie felt exhausted but happier than he could ever remember being. Richie hadn’t left his side the entire day. Whether it was a hand on the small of his back, an arm around his shoulders, or hands brushing between them with each step, Eddie’s senses had been full of nothing but his best friend. It felt odd for them to separate now, as Richie went off to take a shower and Eddie collapsed onto the couch next to Bill.

“How are you liking it, Eddie?”

He looked over at Bill. “It’s nice. It’s a different kind of hectic than New York; I like it. Makes me feel less stressed.”

“You uh…” Bill paused. “You and Richie seem to have fallen right back in with each other.”

Eddie felt his cheeks heat up. “We were always best friends.”

“You were also always in love with each other.”

“Bill!”

Bill laughed, holding his hands up in surrender. “Okay, sorry, sorry. I’m just saying, you know we’re all like, rooting for you guys, right?”

Eddie blinked. “I don’t really know what that means.”

“It means that even when we were kids, everybody knew you two were into each other. And now we’re adults and you’re clearly still into each other so… We just want both of you to be happy. And neither of you have been particularly happy lately.”

Eddie stared down at his lap, his stomach in knots. He had told Richie they would talk Monday, and he’d spent most of the day avoiding thinking about the decision he had to make. He looked up to make sure no one was nearby before he said quietly, “he asked me to move in here.”

Bill’s eyes widened. “Holy shit.”

“Yeah,” Eddie agreed with a short laugh. “We talked about… like, everything, you know? And I told him I’d think about it. It’s just – it’s a big deal. I keep thinking about how my entire life is in New York, but at the same time… It’s not much of a life, is it? And being with Richie, even just as friends, has always made me… better. He makes me better, so I should want to move here, right?”

Bill nodded, looking unsure of what to say.

“But I don’t have the money to just uproot everything and move across the country. And he didn’t even talk to Bev and Ben, who’s to say they’d even want me here-“

“I’m absolutely positive they would love it,” Bill interrupted. Eddie deflated.

“I want to,” he whispered.

“But it’s scary,” Bill finished for him. He nodded. “Do you want my opinion or did you just want someone to listen?”

“Opinion, please?”

Bill smiled softly. “I think you should do it. You haven’t been around to see it, but he really, really loves you. He always has. I think it broke him a little bit when you left.”

Eddie felt tears build behind his eyes and he cursed himself; he couldn’t remember the last time he’d cried so often. “Me, too. And being back with him is like everything feels right again.”

Bill brought a hand up to his shoulder. “You should take the leap, Ed. You’ll regret it if you don’t.”

Eddie did his best to smile at his friend.

“And I know you’re worried about money, but nobody’s going to expect you to pay rent or anything when you first get here. We’re all here to support each other. Do you think you’d be the first Loser to get help from the others? Of course not. Before I was published, I was working like, three part-time jobs and still barely making rent. I stayed here for almost six months, just working on my manuscript and working one retail job. I contributed what I could and put myself to work on what I knew was going to make me happy. And now that the book’s out, I’m doing well and if they’d be willing to accept it, I’d pay these guys back, but. That’s what friends are for.”

“I feel like I’m taking advantage,” Eddie mumbled. “Like, walking back into his life out of no where and expecting him to just… what, take care of me? I don’t – “

“He _wants_ to take care of you, Eddie,” Bill promised. “He’s spent the last five years hoping for you to just walk right back into his life, just like you’ve probably spent that time hoping you’d be able to. When you’re in a relationship you’re on each other’s team. He helps you now, you help him with something later. You take care of each other. It’s not always equal but it’s always balanced.”

Eddie breathed in deeply, letting Bill’s words wash over him. He wanted to, so badly. But could he? Could he go home and tell his mom he was leaving? Pack up his things and go, leaving her to fend for herself?

“Don’t let yourself wake up five years from now with even more regrets, Eddie.” 

* * *

Eddie watched Beverly and Ben out of the corner of his eye. They were in one of the armchairs, Bev with her legs thrown over Ben’s lap, her head resting against his chest. Her eyes were half open, like she wanted to finish the movie but kept drifting off. Ben was running a hand through her hair, focused on the television. Bill was in the other armchair, bundled up in the blanket from the guest room, a bowl of popcorn in his lap.

Eddie had his back against the arm of the couch, legs stretched out so that his feet just brushed Richie’s hip. Richie’s legs were in front of Eddie, his feet reaching Eddie’s ribs. They were sharing a blanket, pressed together where no one else could see. They were halfway through the movie and Eddie was pretty sure his blush had only just gone away. He kept surreptitiously glancing at Richie, who occasionally would catch him looking. Every time he’d duck his head, and Eddie swore he could see him smiling. It was nice.

Eddie wanted more.

He looked again at Bev, who had given up the fight and had closed her eyes. Ben had stopped moving his hand, letting it rest on the back of her neck as she slept. He wanted – that, or something like it, with Richie.

And fuck if he didn’t want it every day.

Without letting himself stop to think about it, he leaned forward and whispered, “will you come in the kitchen with me?”

Richie looked up at him, pushing his glasses up his nose where they had begun to slip.

“Do you need help with something?”

“No.”

Richie’s brows rose. Eddie huffed a nervous laugh. He didn’t wait to see if Richie was going to join him, just untangled himself from the blanket and headed toward the kitchen. It was dark, the only light a dim glow from the window, the back porch light shining inside, but Eddie didn’t bother turning on the light. He took a deep breath as he heard Richie come up behind him.

“What’s up, Eds?”

“Don’t call me that,” he muttered, running a hand through his hair. He was pacing, a few steps each direction, his breathing faltering with every turn.

“Hey, come on,” Richie said in a soothing tone. He reached out and put a hand on Eddie’s arm, stopping his pacing. Eddie looked at him nervously. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Eddie said truthfully. “I’m just – I’m really fucking nervous.”

Richie frowned.

“Not like, in a bad way,” Eddie continued. “In a – a nervous way, you know?”

“No,” Richie admitted, the hint of a smile on his lips.

“Shut up,” he muttered, crossing his arms over his chest. “Will you help me?”

Richie floundered for a moment. “With…?”

“There’s a lot. Like, a lot of things that I’ll have to do. Like – like, most people here, they drive cars, right? I don’t have a car,” he rambled. “And I’ll have to find a job as quickly as possible. But I’ll have to buy a car, and maybe rent a moving van? I don’t know, I don’t know how much stuff I have, or what stuff I even need, maybe I could just ship some things? I mean, I guess I wouldn’t need furniture, but like, clothes, right? And shoes and, like, towels and shit, I don’t trust your towels, no offense, and – “

“You’re coming?”

Eddie stopped. Richie’s eyes were big, a hopeful smile tilting his lips upward.

“Yeah,” he breathed, feeling the relief of the word all the way down to his toes. “Holy shit. Yeah. I’m – Yeah.”

“Fuck,” Richie mumbled.

“That’s still okay, right?”

Richie laughed incredulously. “More than fucking okay.”

Eddie nodded. They stood in the dark kitchen, staring at each other, wide, matching smiles on their faces. When it seemed like Richie wasn’t going to move, Eddie asked, “_now_ will you kiss me?”

Before the last word was out of his mouth Richie had moved forward, one hand combing through Eddie’s hair and the other tightly gripping his hip. He stopped when their foreheads were pressed together, inches away from where Eddie wanted him. Slowly, carefully, Eddie curled his hands around the back of Richie’s neck, fingers brushing soft curls and pulling a shaky breath from Richie’s throat.

Their eyes met, so incredibly close, _too_ close, and Eddie had to glance down, only to find himself drawn to the pinkness of Richie’s lips. He remembered how many times he had stared at those lips as a teenager, always looking away with red cheeks when Richie caught him; now, he was okay with Richie knowing exactly what he wanted.

With an aching slowness, Richie pressed their mouths together. The touch was featherlike, gentler than Eddie could’ve imagined, so he pressed himself up on his toes, deepening the kiss, heart stopping when Richie gasped against his lips. Like floodgates opening, everything he’d ever felt for his best friend washed over him, leaving him breathless and tangling his fingers in Richie’s hair the way he’d always wanted to. He didn’t realize Richie was backing him up until he bumped into the counter; he found himself so focused on the feeling of Richie’s hands clutching at his back, his hips, his neck, and the pressure of his soft lips, the hint of tongue that left him burning for more.

They separated for a moment. Eddie took in how disheveled, how ruined, Richie already looked, and it made him feel hot all over. His lips were wet, his cheeks were red, his breath was heavy, and all he could think was _I did that_. But he didn’t want to just look at Richie; he wanted to kiss him. He molded their mouths together again, trying to infuse five years of longing into the press of their lips, hoping Richie got the message, felt how much Eddie missed him.

He tentatively tasted with his tongue, fingers tightening in black curls when Richie’s mouth opened in a moan. His toes curled in his socks when Richie’s hands found his ass, squeezing and pulling him closer, and he gasped when he felt Richie against his stomach.

“We’re in the kitchen,” Eddie whispered against his lips, unwilling to part. He felt lightheaded, dizzy like all the blood in his body was rushing south, away from his brain until he hardly cared that they were one room away from three of their friends.

“Yeah, we should – “ Richie interrupted himself to press soft, short kisses to Eddie’s lips. “We should go – to… We should go to my room.”

They separated, Richie taking a step back, chest heaving. Eddie wanted him more than anything, wanted to pull him back in, but the thought of being in a bed…

“We should…” Eddie trailed off, biting his lip. Richie’s blue eyes were dark, looking him up and down, and he sucked in a deep breath. “We should go to _our_ room.”

Blue eyes widened and before he could take another breath Richie was back on him, wet and messy and spit-slick and Eddie was reeling, couldn’t get enough, never wanted to stop kissing his best friend, his favorite person, this perfect stupid boy that he’d loved his whole fucking life.

Richie yanked backward and without looking at Eddie grabbed his hand, pulling him toward the hallway.

“Where are you going?” Bill asked when they passed the living room.

“Bedroom,” Richie answered in a hoarse voice.

Beverly seemed to have woken up. “What?”

“Eddie’s moving in,” Richie said, not answering her question. “We’re gonna go have sex, now.”

_“Richie!”_

They rushed down the hallway, their friends’ laughter a faint noise behind them. When they entered the bedroom, Richie slammed the door shut behind them, eyes wide when he saw Eddie already climbing onto the bed.

“Fuck,” he mumbled, sounding awed. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.”

“You’re too far away,” Eddie complained, as Richie stood by the door, staring. The words spurred Richie into action, and he tore his shirt off as he rushed to the bed, climbing up and on top of Eddie. He held himself up with his elbows on either side of Eddie’s head and smiled softly. “That’s better.”

“You should take your shirt off,” Richie suggested quietly, fingers playing with the hem of Eddie’s shirt. Eddie nodded and lifted his back so Richie could pull the fabric over his head, tossing it onto the floor. They took the moment to breathe each other in; their entire lives together had been leading to this moment, this heavy gaze. Richie leaned down to press a soft, chaste kiss to Eddie’s lips. When he pulled back, only a few centimeters so that Eddie could still feel his breath, he whispered, “I love you.”

Eddie sniffled, smiling and letting his hands roam Richie’s chest, running his fingers through the sparse hair and gasping at the noise Richie made when he brushed over a nipple. Finally, one hand landed against a hipbone, pinkie brushing the waistband of Richie’s pants, and the other pressed against his chest, where he could feel the racing heartbeat beneath the skin.

“I love you, too,” he said happily, lifting his head so their lips found each other again. In moments the kiss turned heated - open-mouthed and desperate. Eddie gripped Richie’s hips and pulled him down until they were pressed together, punching a groan from Richie’s throat. Richie’s hands began scrabbling at the waistband of Eddie’s sweats, asking without words for permission. Eddie nodded, their lips separating. Richie didn’t go far, his lips sliding down a flushed cheek, finding a spot to lick under Eddie’s jaw that left him whimpering. Eddie hardly noticed Richie pulling his pants down, couldn’t figure out where to focus when it felt like so much was happening everywhere all at once. One hand was pushing his pants down his legs, another was mapping out his torso with soft, almost tickling touches, and his mouth was attached to his neck, biting and licking and –

“Yours, too,” he whined, as his own hands began to wander. Richie was in jeans, and he had to stand up to get them off. Eddie felt cold the moment he was gone, and without thought began palming himself to relieve some of the pressure as he realized how tight Richie’s boxers were, that he could see everything. Richie started to climb back onto the bed when Eddie stopped him, pointing at the boxers. “Those, too.”

“Both of us?” Richie suggested, his eyes not leaving Eddie’s own crotch. He looked down, realizing with embarrassment that his dark blue briefs were doing nothing to hide him, that Richie could see just how into this he was by the wet spot forming, and he whined when he peeled the underwear off, throwing his head back as the waistband dragged along his dick. Before he realized what was happening, Richie was back on him, this time immediately dropping so their bodies were flush.

“_Oh_,” Eddie mumbled to himself, head spinning at the feeling of Richie’s cock against his own. He could already feel heat building in his stomach, and embarrassment started to fill him as he realized he wasn’t going to last long at all. His hands roamed Richie’s back, one moving up to card through his curls, the other eventually drifting down. Richie squeaked when Eddie squeezed his ass, causing Eddie to laugh. “Sorry.”

“Not bad, just – “ Richie huffed a laugh of his own, pressing another kiss to Eddie’s lips. “Unexpected.”

“Well, keep making squeaky noises like that and I’m not gonna last,” Eddie joked, then pressed his mouth hard against Richie’s before he could respond. One of Richie’s legs fell in between Eddie’s, and Eddie gasped into the kiss when his cock found friction on Richie’s thigh. “Fuck, oh my god, Richie – I’m not even – I’m not kidding, I’m gonna –“

Richie lifted his leg, breaking the contact, leaving Eddie keening. “Not yet, okay?”

Eddie let out a long whine, lifting his hips and finding no purchase. He had been so close, but he already felt himself backing away from the edge. “What do you wanna do?”

Richie looked down at him. He was on his knees, hovering over Eddie, and Eddie felt like he should feel trapped, but he just felt safe.

“Can I – I mean, have you ever…” Richie trailed off uncomfortably.

“Had sex with a guy?” Eddie finished. “No. Had something up my ass? Yes.”

Richie groaned loudly. “Oh my god Eds you can’t just say things like that to me I’m only human are you kidding –“

“Want you to, Richie,” he whispered. “Even just your fingers, I just want you in me –“

“Yeah, okay, yeah,” Richie murmured, looking like every dream he’d ever had was coming true. He climbed off of Eddie and opened a drawer on his bedside table, pulling out a small bottle. “Lay this way,” he directed, so that Eddie’s head was near the headboard. “You’ve – you’ve done this to yourself?”

Eddie, too turned on to be embarrassed anymore, nodded. “I use my fingers and – I got a toy that I use sometimes, too, but I can’t – my arm’s not long enough, I can never – my fingers aren’t long either, I’ve never actually – “

Richie, breathing heavily, opened the lube and poured some onto his first two fingers. With his clean hand, he nudged Eddie’s inner knees, then grabbed a pillow from next to his head. “Can you put this under your hips?” Eddie did, and Richie stopped for a moment.

“What?”

“I’m sorry, I just – you’re so fucking beautiful and I never thought we’d get here.”

Eddie smiled, reaching for Richie’s clean hand and interlocking their fingers.

Still holding Eddie’s hand, he began to circle a finger around his entrance, squeezing his hand when he flinched at the contact.

“So you’ve never – what? Never found your –“

“No, never,” Eddie cut him off. “Fingers are too short, arm’s too short, everything’s too fuckin’ short.”

“Well I can name one thing about you that isn’t short,” Richie said with a grin, looking up from where he was still increasing pressure against Eddie’s entrance. Eddie looked at him, confused. “It’s your dick, Eds. I’m talking about your dick.”

“Jesus Christ, Richie!” Eddie exclaimed, but found himself laughing anyway, and barely feeling it when Richie finally let his first finger slide inside.

“And don’t worry, babe,” Richie continued, as though Eddie hadn’t just yelled at him. “My fingers are long.”

“I know,” Eddie muttered, looking up at the ceiling.

Richie raised a brow as he slowly moved his finger in and out, marveling in the small twitches in Eddie’s hips, the sharp intake of breath. “_You know?_”

“Used to – “ He cut himself off with a whine as Richie began to crook his finger. “Used to think about ‘em, stare at ‘em and imagine –“

“That’s going in the spank bank filing cabinet,” Richie commented with a groan, the image of Eddie fingering himself while thinking of him playing behind his eyes.

Eddie lifted his head. “The spank bank filing cabinet?” Then he dropped his head with a whimper when Richie inserted a second finger. “Never mind. I don’t want to know.”

Richie huffed a laugh, letting go of Eddie’s hand and grabbing his cock instead. Eddie let out a gasp as Richie began to slowly pump, and he smiled softly as he felt Eddie begin to relax around his fingers. Once he had Eddie mewling, fingers clutching at the blanket beneath him, Richie began to push his fingers in farther, crooking them until finally Eddie yelped.

“Found it,” Richie muttered to himself with a grin. He let go of Eddie’s cock and held his own, trying to stave off his orgasm as long as possible. He wanted to watch Eddie first. He took up a relentless pace, pressing against his prostate and listening to the hottest noises he’d ever heard come from Eddie’s mouth. “Is that good, baby?”

“Fuck,” Eddie whined, pushing his hips down against Richie’s fingers. “Yeah, ‘s good, so good, _fuck_.” He reached down and took himself in hand, spilling over his stomach after only a few strokes. Richie slowly removed his fingers, his clean hand rubbing Eddie’s thigh as he did. Eddie’s loud panting filled the room, and Richie never wanted to stop looking at him like this.

Ignoring his own aching cock, he grabbed a few tissues from the nightstand and used them to wipe Eddie’s stomach. When he was done, he leaned down and pressed their lips together, smiling when Eddie whined into the kiss.

Eddie brought one hand to grab at Richie’s hair, and using his legs maneuvered them until he was on top, Richie flushed and hard beneath him.

“I suppose this is the image I’ll save for _my_ spank bank filing cabinet,” Eddie said conversationally, even though he was still breathing heavily. He grinned at Richie.

“Oh my god,” Richie laughed, staring at Eddie. “Oh my god, I love you so fucking much, what the fuck.”

“I love you so fucking much, what the fuck, too, Rich,” Eddie answered, before pressing his lips against Richie’s collarbone, letting his tongue trace the skin and relishing in the soft noises Richie began to make. He trailed kisses down his chest, then let his tongue follow the trail of hair leading downward, smiling at Richie’s sharp intake of breath. He lifted his head. “I’m gonna blow you, okay? But it might be really bad, so. I don’t know. Maybe sorry in advance.”

Richie watched with wide eyes as Eddie used one hand to hold his cock at the base, then press tiny kisses to the tip. He seemed to be getting used to the taste, letting his tongue dart out as he ran his lips along the shaft, before finally taking him in his mouth. “Holy fuck,” Richie groaned, hips pushing upward. Eddie used his free hand to hold them down. He couldn’t take much before he was gagging, and he didn’t think he was ready for that just yet, so he sucked and licked where he could and began to stroke the rest. Richie didn’t seem to mind; he began a stream of curses with intermittent groans and whimpers that Eddie found he really loved.

“Babe, I’m – I’m close, you should – “

Eddie pulled off, keeping his hand wrapped around Richie and leaning forward, over the other boy until their lips were messily pressed together, open-mouthed and wet. Richie bit his bottom lip, sending a thrill down Eddie’s spine, and after only a few more strokes Richie was coming, gasping out Eddie’s name. Eddie watched his face, the pure bliss followed by a small smile and flushed cheeks and skin damp with sweat. He couldn’t think of anything more beautiful.

Remembering Richie cleaning him up, he grabbed the tissues and wiped the come from Richie’s stomach, watching in fascination as his stomach muscles twitched at the light contact. When he was clean, Eddie collapsed next to Richie, laying on his side and watching the other boy come down.

“That was the second best thing that’s ever happened to me,” Richie said, after a few minutes of nothing but the sound of their heavy breathing filling the room.

“What’s the first?” Eddie asked with an amused smile. He was surprised to see Richie glance away from him, flush on his cheeks darkening.

“When you said this was _our_ bedroom,” he admitted shyly. Eddie leaned over and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek, letting a hand rest against his hip and tangling their legs together.

“That was a good one, wasn’t it?”

Richie turned his head toward him and smiled. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“Coming to find us, I guess. After that first try when you weren’t home, I don’t know that I ever would’ve tried again. You were always the brave one,” Richie said softly.

“You’re brave, too, Richie,” Eddie assured him. “We both are. Brave, badass, super gay – “

“Is that your superhero name or just a descriptor?”

Eddie shoved him with a laugh. “You’re lucky I love you, because you’re an absolute shit.”

Richie smiled and cupped Eddie’s cheek. “Yeah, I am lucky.” 


End file.
